The Bounty Hunter
by songluv
Summary: An Avatar semi-AU fic with mild Tokka. It takes place after the episode "The Runaway" and borders "The Puppetmaster". And yes, I did copy some of the dialogue directly, but only towards the beginning. I hope you like my first fanfic!
1. The Bounty

We hadn't really eaten in what seemed like forever, but we had to keep going. I knew there was a town nearby – the problem was finding it. With our entire group being as weak as we were, it was hard to find paths in the forest. There weren't any rivers for miles, so it wasn't like we could just follow it towards a village or city.

That's right: we were lost in the Earth Kingdom.

It least being lost gave me a lot of time to think. I'm a thinking sort of guy, you know? Anyway, it had been a couple days since we left that Fire Nation city, after we escaped Combustion Man, and after we scammed those scammers to the North Pole. It's too bad I lost Hawky. Apparently Katara used him to send a message to Toph's parents.

Speaking of Toph... I learned a lot a few days ago. It's not that I didn't know Toph before then... But there was a lot I didn't know about her. There still is a lot. But I can talk to her in a way that I've never been able to around anyone else. And it's not because she's blind. I realized that she and I, while we don't have a lot in common, work well together in the team. Both of us are appropriately handicapped: she is blind, but a master earthbender; I can't bend at all, but I think a lot, and I'm good at making plans if I do say so myself.

I think I like her. I really do.

I looked over at Aang. He looked paler than usual. He looked like he wanted to say something, but kept hesitating, even before he opened his mouth. I felt bad for the kid. I mean, he was supposed to save the world, right? It wasn't exactly something to sneeze at. I looked away, towards the ground I walked on. We were miserable. We needed to do something.

Before I knew it, and before I think everyone else knew it, the sun had set, and we were surrounded by darkness. The trees around us looked bare and forbidding. And we were at the base of a large hill. I couldn't help but look up. A nearly-full moon grew brighter every minute, and bathed the forest in blue light. I looked around at where our gang had stopped walking. It was a small clearing, just big enough for us to comfortably relax for the night.

"Let's stop here for the night," I said. My voice felt dry and weak from the lack of use all day. While that would have discouraged some people, it uplifted me. I couldn't help myself for smiling. "I have an idea."

They all looked at me like I was speaking some other language. I swung out my sword and slashed the tip into the ground near the center of the clearing.

"Scary stories..." I started, my tone much clearer and more enthusiastic, "around a campfire!"

I could tell the mood had lifted immediately. Some color even appeared in Aang's face. I grinned at them, and felt like reveling silently in my knowledgeable success. After a few minutes there was a warm fire to cut through the blue and cast orange light everywhere. It added to the stereotypical scary feel of a story-telling group, especially since the light dissipated after only a few layers of trees surrounding the clearing.

"Thanks, Sokka," Katara said as she passed with Momo in her arms. I looked around at the somewhat-less dejected group around the flickering campfire, sitting on the cold, rocky ground. At least it was warm and stayed off the cold. I looked at Toph. She looked like she was spacing out and staring at the ground... Or maybe it was because she was blind. I couldn't really tell. I glanced back up at Appa, who was snoozing peacefully in a cave that seemed to be carved out of the side of this mountain.

I took my position next to the biggest tree there, one that had no leaves. I started to tell various stories, all of which I thought were pretty scary... None of them agreed with me. Finally, I arrived at the end of one of them.

"Suddenly, they heard something down the hall in the dark." I stopped for a moment and moaned for emphasis. "It came into the torchlight... And they knew...

"The blade of Wing-fung was haunted!" I stood up and slashed my sword towards the fire, then howled like a screaming bird.

Nothing.

"I think I liked the man with a sword for a hand better," Aang said calmly.

"Water Tribe slumber parties must stink," said Toph, a bite to her voice. That sure put me down.

"No wait!" Katara said. "I've got one, and this is a true Southern Water Tribe story.

I sat down, shoving my sword into the ground. "Is this one of those, 'A friend of my cousin knew some guy that this happened to' stories?"

"No. It happened to Mom." That shut me up fast.

She continued. "One winter, when Mom was a girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Mom realized she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. So Mom and some others went to check on Nini's family. When they got there, no one was home; just a fire, flickering in the fireplace. While the men went out to search, Mom stayed in the house.

"When she was alone, she heard a voice. 'It's so cold, and I can't get warm!'" I shivered and curled my knees up to my chest. It was actually a really scary story. I could imagine it all in my mind...

She kept going after a moment, and I took the opportunity to hide behind a visible root. "Mom turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue, like she was frozen. Mom ran outside for help, but when everyone came back, Nini was gone." Aang gripped Momo's ears and pulled them over his own. I drew myself up ever-so slightly. Katara really knew how to make it sound so scary.

"Where'd she go?" I asked quietly. My voice leaked some of my fear.

"No one knows..." she said slowly. "Nini's house stands empty to this day. But sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney, like little Nini is still trying to get warm..."

The camp was silent for a few moments.

Toph suddenly gasped, and I jumped. "Wait!" She placed a palm on the ground. "Guys, did you hear that?!" Her voice was excited, but whether it was a happy excited or not, I couldn't tell.

I shot over to Katara to huddle with her, and Aang did the same. Toph stood up. "I hear people under the mountain. And they're screaming!" We shook in unison.

I detached myself. "Nice try..." I started. It wasn't real. Toph was just a good actress, that was all.

"No, I'm serious," she said. Her voice was ever more urgent. "I hear something..."

"You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories," said Katara, but she couldn't keep the nervousness from her tone.

Toph was quiet for a second. Then, "It just stopped."

"I think we should all just try to get some rest." I said. Maybe ghost stories weren't such a good idea right now. The group nodded.

That night, none of us slept well.

The good thing was the next morning, Toph's hearing – while it was creepy – did help us locate a small town, a few miles away. We kept our pacing slow, to rest Appa and our own tired feet. Unfortunately, we were still stuck in the forest. It was really good fortune that we found a traveler during the day who was actually traveling to a faraway market to sell his goods. He had all sorts of produce in his wagon, and his Ostrich-horse was really nice.

He let us buy some food, and pointed out the direction to get out of the forest and towards the village. It really made me change my views about Fire Nation citizens. I guess the normal people and even some of the firebenders aren't so bad. We weren't about to tell him we were from the South Pole, of course, or that we were traveling with the Avatar, but still.

It was about midday when it happened. Toph stopped Katara, who was in front.

"You guys, there's an animal trap up ahead," she said after a moment. Her sightless eyes narrowed as she thought. "And there's a person around, too." She tapped a foot and a pillar of rock a few steps in front of Katara rose up, revealing a thick brown rope tied noose-style. Due to the amount of dirt and leaves that were now fluttering to the ground, it had been keenly disguised.

"Thanks, Toph. We owe you one," I said, but suspicion was already crossing my mind. I crossed over to look at the rope. I followed its line down to the ground, where it was very difficult to see. I had to work carefully or else the trap would be set off. It was really strange that the trap wasn't set off already by Toph's bending...

I followed it around the tree it was beside and over a neighboring tree's branch, only to find the end. And that was just it: it wasn't weighted, there were no triggering mechanisms. It was just a hiding rope. I tugged the end and there was no reaction. I could feel the confusion on my face as I looked back at the gang.

"This doesn't make any sense..." I muttered.

I heard Toph sigh again, exasperated. "_What_ doesn't?" she asked impatiently.

"This is just a rope. The trap wouldn't be set off if you stepped in it. It's just... a rope..." I couldn't wrap my mind around it. Someone had obviously placed the rope there, but either they didn't intend to catch anything, or they were totally incompetent trappers. "I just don't understand..."

I stepped forward after releasing the rope and looked up at the gang. "I think someone's after us," I said after a moment. I was strong and sure about it. "Someone we haven't met before."

I heard Katara cry my name out, just before there was a sharp pain on my head. Something big and hard hit me. I crumpled to the ground, my skull pounding. Was I going to pass out? The next few moments were blurry in my mind.

I heard Toph yell. "Toph!" I answered back, struggling to get up and keep my eyes open. There was someone, all dressed in black, who had encased Toph's limbs with something hard and shining... It wasn't rope, and it wasn't rock. It was ice. She was shoved into a net and suspended with mastery from a thick tree bough.

My instincts told me that Katara should handle the situation, or even Aang, who was getting better than Katara every day. But Katara was busy with a piece of fabric tied around her face so she couldn't see and she could hardly breathe, and with a rope shackle. Aang was waterbending, but he was warding off the person.

My vision blurred, but I was able to realize something. Our ambusher was a waterbender, too! He must have been from the North Pole... And if that was true, then the gang might have met him at some time...

The attacker wasn't very tall, though. He was probably not much older than Aang. Or me, for that matter. He was thin, too. How did he fight so well? It was the daytime, and waterbenders shouldn't be so powerful during the day, especially for someone who was so young. Aang was freaking 112 years old, and he wasn't even really good... Well, he was, but he wasn't as good as he could have been during the day.

The attacker was losing, thankfully. I couldn't do anything but watch: my arms and legs felt heavy and limp, and every single movement sent blades of pain into my head. But I could see that Aang was quickly overpowering this person, and gained the upper hand in a few moments.

The tides turned in an instant. Before anyone knew what was going on, the attacker had an ice blade against Toph's throat as she dangled, bound, in the tied net. "Toph!" I cried again, my heart beating faster even than it had when we were escaping Combustion Man. I felt the strength to stand, and did so. As soon as I got up, though, my head felt like it was split open with the pain, and I staggered to slump on the trunk of a tree. I panted, but was able to stay standing and watch the scene I was helpless to stop.

"Don't move, anyone, or she will die," came a voice. It was high for a man's. But he probably wasn't very old, so it was to be expected.

"What do you want with Toph?" I asked, my voice accusing, and I fought against the wave of pain brought on by my own sound. Even Aang froze. Katara finally slipped off the fabric and stared as well. My eyes were locked on Toph, who struggled against the strong ice. She was powerless without the ground, I knew. Her bracelet... It lay on the ground beneath the net.

The person's face slowly turned to me. I noticed an air of confusion about him. He wore a mask like a wolf's face, like the masks warriors in the North Pole wore. I could see the dark blue eyes in their proper slits, narrow and accusing. And I saw his hair, many shades of brown and down to his shoulders, unrestrained by a wolf's-tail band.

"This girl has a high price on her dead body." There was a collective gasp through our group. I gritted my teeth in frustration at my helplessness. So he was a bounty hunter! There was a beat of time, then the hunter continued.

"She has a higher price alive."

"So you won't kill her unless you have to?" I asked. My voice was weak, and it cracked at least twice, to my knowledge. Toph... I wouldn't let this person hurt her, even if it put me in danger.

The hunter shook his head. "Only if there is resistance. Like you all. We are not enemies..." He hesitated. "I seek money. My employer will give me what I seek if I give him what he seeks." He tested lowering the knife, and seeing that none of us were going to risk stopping him, he melted it into water, and deposited all of his water in a skin at his hip. "He seeks the girl who stole his money."

I felt my anger rise, and I shoved myself off of my support to thunder towards this hunter. I walked towards him, and realized as I drew nearer that I was far taller than he was. But I stopped when he jammed the knife up to Toph's neck again. I raised my hands up in submission, but couldn't contain the fact that I was seriously upset.

"Look, whoever you are we'll give you the money she took or whatever else your employer wants..." I started, but the hunter cut me off with a wave of his free hand.

"He doesn't want her because she took money from him. He wants her so she can make more money for him. She'd be an endless source of income, in his opinion." I was stunned to hear how apathetic his voice was. Did he really not care that he was going to turn a poor blind girl into a slave? He was just stating it as a fact, as if it was supposed to be accepted or something.

An idea came to me. "Once you turn her in, will you get to keep the money immediately?" The hunter hesitated, then nodded slowly. I felt my rage start to slowly fade. "Then once you turn her in, and you get the money, you can bring her back to us?"

His eyes were barely slits as I watched them consider this. I kept going, urging him to come to our side. "We'll make a bounty for you to rescue her. We'll pay you twice what he's paying you, and then you'll be debt-free or whatever."

After a few moments of tense thinking, the guy finally spoke. "As long as you happen to have more than one gold bar..."

I felt a smile coming on. "How does three sound?" I offered, doing some gambling of myself.

"Then it's settled," he said suddenly, and sliced the rope that suspended Toph's net. I stared at her with a renewed hope. She would be okay, I told myself. She wouldn't be hurt, or forced to do something she didn't want to. I closed my eyes and nodded solemnly.

"You can meet us at the next town over, just a mile or so away, I think." The hunter nodded his recognition.

"Be careful in that town. There's a lot of superstition. And they say there's a monster, or a large beast, that captures the villagers and keeps them." He slung Toph's net over his shoulder, though I was surprised that someone of his size could carry her... Not that I wanted to insult Toph, but this guy was barely taller than she was, and he looked skinnier.

"Thanks, guy. I hope I can trust you," I said, and felt my stomach flip uncomfortably. Could I trust him?

He stared at me, then moved his gaze to Aang, then Katara, and then back to me. (Actually, it surprised me that they hadn't spoken against this plan. But they actually both seemed to agree with it.) He took a step forward, then reached up with his free hand to remove his mask.

He was a girl.

"My name's... Arashi," she said. "And... just for good measure, so you have a nice cover..." She expertly slipped her mask back on, and drew out water with her free hand. After a moment she had shaped and frozen it into a long, rough-edged and uneven cone... A knife?

For a moment I thought she was going to hand it to me. I was wrong. And I paid dearly. She shoved it into my upper arm, and was gone with Toph by the time I shut my eyes from pain. I cried out and fell to my knees on the ground.

"Sokka!" my sister yelled again. She and Aang rushed to my side, and she quickly pulled out the sharp blade of ice. There was another burst of agony, and I felt myself slip out of control.

I could only remember Toph's stunned look of shock as she was carried away against her will before I went totally unconscious.

--

_A/N: If you like it, please read and review. Don't forget to tell your friends about it as well!_


	2. Sokka's Dilemma

I slammed my palms into my forehead for what had to have been the hundredth time, despite the headache from the lump on my head.

"How could I let her go like that?" I asked to no one in particular. The sky, maybe. Or that Arashi what's-her-name.

Katara made a face as she sat beside me. "Sokka, please stop moving around so much. Your arm's still really hurt." She raised her hands again and did that freaky glowy thing that seemed to make things heal better. Her water-bent healing or whatever. She raised an eyebrow at me to make sure I wouldn't move around again, and then let her hands work their magic.

"I just... I feel like there must have been something else we could have done, you know? Like offer that girl more money than her employer did..."

"Sokka," Aang started. I looked up at him with a frustrated expression. The Avatar approached us and sat on the log on the other side of me. "I know you're really upset right now, but you did the best you could. At least she's safe."

I felt a rush of anger at the twelve-year-old. What did he know? Everything had to be peaceful for the nomad all the time. Nothing ever went wrong in his little world. But I sat and fumed, at least until I felt a pinch of pain in my arm.

"Oww... Hey Katara, is that supposed to hurt, or are you just doing it wrong?" I asked, looking from Aang to my wound.

Katara made a face. "Well, I found a little bit of ice in you." Ignoring my protests, she continued. "So I'm just going to melt it down..." The pain vanished... "And there you are."

I looked over my wound again. Nope. I wasn't seeing any improvement. But Katara was the master healer... I sat still as she wrapped my arm in gauze, then she patted my hand gently.

"Sokka, you did the best you could. I'm sure she'll be fine."

I wanted to yell at her. I wanted to say, "Well, you're not the one who had to give her up. You're not the one who had to choose, voluntarily, I might add, to give her to someone who'll probably make her a slave to some fat old man!" I wanted to walk out of this crazy group and let Katara have her precious Avatar boyfriend.

But I didn't. I felt my anger begin to cool.

"Yeah. You're probably right..."

Aang broke in. "We should keep moving. We need to get to the next town so that Arashi knows where to find us."

I nodded briefly. "Right. The sooner we get there, the better chance we have of meeting with this bounty hunter when she comes back." I stood up and flexed my arm muscle. A little sore, but other than that it didn't seem to hurt too much. As annoying and clingy as Katara could be, she was actually getting really good at waterbending, both in combat and for healing.

"Come on, Appa," Aang encouraged light-heartedly. "We have to keep moving."

The huge bison simply yawned. Aang pet his nose affectionately, and Appa finally rolled over onto his six massive feet. Aang laughed. "Good boy."

The bison lowed and then launched himself through the treetops into the air. As I was buffeted by the scattered dirt, I watched him sweep his tail down once more before vanishing above the curtain of green.

"Let's go," I said.

Our journey was uneventful. We followed a dirt road which led in the direction that the Fire Nation man had shown us. The day was long, boring, at least without Toph. Even I wasn't up to talking. Only when the rays of the sun shone from the horizon did we exit the forest and find ourselves at the top of a hill that looked down at a small village.

_She'll find it. She'll find it._ I kept telling myself. But for some reason I couldn't believe a word I said. It was so small, so out-of-the-way in a little corner of the world, tucked into a small valley where daylight barely reached it...

We followed the sun to the village and reached the outskirts as the sky gradually darkened from orange, to pink, to purple, to blackish-blue. It was a quaint town. Everyone seemed to know everyone else. The downside was, not many people were keen on taking in outsiders. It was terribly frustrating, not being able to find a place to stay for the night.

"I hope Appa at least found someplace," Aang sighed after we passed yet another closed door.

"He's a big bison," I said to comfort the Avatar. "He can take care of himself for a night." He looked at me and I gave him a tired smile. It had been a long day. We all needed some support from each other.

"Yeah..." Aang said, looking away. We were quiet again.

The silence was... ominous, to say the least. It was scary to think how we had all been talking and laughing around a warm campfire this time last night. And Toph was there. I made a face as I felt emotion come up. No... I had to be strong now. I had to show them – Katara and Aang – that I could handle this.

I wanted to take out my sword, to remind me of her. What would that do? My sister would worry. Aang would worry. So instead, I withdrew her bracelet. Katara had given it to me after I'd come around from being bonked. I smiled as I felt the dark material in my palm, so cool and secure-feeling. It reminded me of home...

Finally, we reached the other side of town, and the moon had long since risen. Almost a full moon, I noted mentally. We all stopped at the edge of houses. The street extended up the slope of the other side of the valley. About halfway up, there was one last house.

"Well, come on. We'll try this place," Katara resolved for all of us. She put a hand on my shoulder, and then led us up.

Katara knocked three times on the door and we waited anxiously.

After a moment the door opened and a wizened old lady with a huge smile on her face appeared. She wasn't the prettiest, but she absolutely beamed acceptance.

"Well, don't you all look so tired? Why don't you come in for some supper?" She introduced herself as Hama.

Her house was warm, and we not only learned that she was a waterbender, but she lived in the South Pole when the Fire Nation attacked. She was one of few survivors.

One thing I noticed, though, as I lay on a bed in one of the many spare rooms she owned, was that she hadn't ever gone into details about her escape. She'd been captured by the Fire Nation... But had she magically just _poofed_ here or something?

I tried not to think about it too much. It hurt my brain.

The next morning was better. The bed had stayed soft and fluffy all night, and I was the most well-rested I've been in a long time. I woke up early, when the air was still damp and the sky gray, to practice my swordplay outside.

Dancing with my meteor sword... It made me think. I'm a thinking sort of guy, you know? From last night I already felt better about Toph's well-being. I was still nervous, sure. But something told me that she'd be with us again soon, safe and sound.

I came back refreshed, a grin on my face and ready to take on the world. Aang and Katara were both sitting at the kitchen table, and they stared at me as I walked in. But they couldn't hide their well-rested and relaxed looks from me.

"Hello, my friends, how are you this morning?"

Aang smiled. "I'm pretty good. How about you Katara?"

"I'm good, too. I slept well and everything." She looked down at her bowl of whatever-she-had-for-breakfast. "I'm actually feeling pretty confident about Toph."

I gasped in amazement, although it was mostly for show than anything. "Me, too!" I cried.

Katara smiled. "Well, Hama said that she'd take me out today to learn some advanced waterbending techniques."

Aang immediately spoke after her. "And I was planning on meditating and practicing my bending as well."

I stared from the Avatar to my sister. Were they just making it up? Maybe they wanted to elope or something silly like that. I mentally shrugged and realized that I didn't really care. So long as he brought her back in one piece, and not scarred for life or anything, I was fine with it. Then again, there was that itty-bitty chance that they were actually going to train separately from each other...

Nah. That wasn't about to happen.

"Well, then... I guess the only thing left for me to do is wait for that bounty hunter." I stretched, and walked towards the front door. "I'm gonna go and get familiar with the town. You guys have fun without me..."

With my hand on the doorknob, I realized that I hadn't eaten breakfast yet. I blinked and struggled a bit on the inside. Breakfast or preserved manliness? I slid over to the table and piled my arms with assorted muffins and other pastries and then bolted out the door.

Unfortunately for me, the town didn't need a lot of getting-to-know. It was small, which meant as soon as I knew where things were, I'd be stuck waiting all day for our mysterious Arashi to come and return Toph. Thankfully, the townspeople began to realize that I wasn't just a traveler passing through for a day, and began opening their doors. Soon, the whole town knew my name and my purpose there in that little village.

I learned that they were all highly superstitious. Some spoke of a monster. Some spoke of a witch. All stories eventually led up to him or her taking innocent victims away on nights of the full moon (tonight, I remembered) to the mountain, where the stories separated again. Some people said the whatever-it-was took the people into the mountain to devour the healthy ones and throw the sick ones into pits of spikes. Some said that the thing kept them there as slaves.

I obviously didn't believe in a word of it. But the townspeople were sure convinced.

I spent the rest of the morning chatting with my fellow townspeople. They seemed to like me, for a new guy I mean. Some of them actually smiled at me. I didn't go back to the house – not that there was any reason to – for lunch, but had a picnic on the edge of town with a girl who wasn't half bad. She was nice enough and looked very attractive, but I wouldn't remember her name in an hour or so.

After that, I mostly waited. I sat on a dirt-topped rise near where I'd had my picnic, and faced the woods above.

I would occasionally find myself fingering the hoop of meteor rock that Toph had dropped. It was so smooth, it was almost like clay. I wanted to just press it in and mold it as easily as an earthbender. But every time I squeezed it remained hard and unyielding. And then I would sigh, and think about her...

Toph. She was always so strong, so willful. I always seemed to forget she was blind at all. But now she was probably helplessly captured in a little wood cage dangling from the ceiling. Or... Had Arashi already "rescued" her and was on their way back? If only I'd have heard the bounty hunter coming. I felt so stupid for being snuck up on! I always saw myself as the planner, the brilliant strategist... But maybe I was just a normal guy after all. Just a little boy hiding behind another wolf-mask, playing with his stone stick and toy boomerang.

Boomer-Aang. As much pity as I was feeling towards myself, I couldn't help but smile. I remembered those days, when my plans actually worked. When I was trying to think of as many names as possible for our little group, and Boomer-Aang was one of them... Or was it The Boomer-Aang Squad? The Aang Gang? They all sounded familiar...

My musings continued like this for hours in the warm sun. It was nice, here in the Fire Nation... Despite the fact that any major city probably had people who wanted to kill us or capture us or something, it was relatively peaceful. I thought back to the man who had helped us get to the village, and Hama, who was mysterious and cynical, but kind. Two people of many who were as kind as anyone normal could be.

I looked out towards the sun, and squinted. It was already beginning to set and turn orange-ish. It must have been about 5:00 in the afternoon, maybe later. It was just barely peeking out from behind the huge hills, casting the other side of the sky in blue darkness as the full moon began to show itself.

"Warrior!" a somewhat unfamiliar voice called. There was only one person who didn't know my name.

My eyes snapped to the path leading from the woods, but I had to shift my gaze so I could actually see. The sun had burned spots into my vision. Finally, I made out the slim, short figure making their way down quickly but gracefully. "Warrior!" she called again, and I realized she was alone.

Dread filled me and an icy fist gripped my heart.

I stood quickly, hand on the hilt of my sword in case the bounty hunter tried anything funny. "Arashi! Where's Toph?"

The girl, who had her wolf mask on, now that I could see her up close, stopped a few feet from me. "I'm sorry, warrior, but we were attacked on the way here."

My senses were on red alert from this recent news, and I started to feel sympathy for Arashi and Toph. But I couldn't help myself. "So you left her _behind_? What kind of bounty hunter are you?"

"I am sorry, warrior..."

I cut her off. "My name is Sokka."

I could tell she was getting as impatient with me as I was with her. "Fine. But I saw your sister, the waterbender." I blinked. "She began to fight our attacker, but only after the earthbender was captured and had disappeared."

So... Katara was pulled into this, too? "Who was it? What did the attacker look like?"

"It was a woman, old, and a powerful waterbender. She seemed to have been a friend of your sister's but now they are against each other."

_Hama!_

My heart thumped painfully in my chest.

"I knew it! I knew we couldn't trust her!" I yelled. Furious, but also afraid, I turned on the girl. "Come with me. I might need your help. And don't ask for more money or..." I wanted to threaten her but couldn't find the words. I began running back into town.

Surprisingly, she followed, and kept up without breaking a sweat. Her wolf mask was tinted a dark orange in the setting sun. "Where are you going?" She asked. "They are the other way!"

"We're going after the Avatar!"

I probably shouldn't have told her, but at least she kept quiet. Most likely thought I was crazy, but hey, you win some, you lose some. She'd believe me soon enough.

"Aang," I called when I saw him by a river on the other side of town. He was sitting on a rock without his shirt on, meditating, his arrows thankfully not glowing. At least he was with us, not in the Spirit world. But... He didn't stir. I stopped. "Aang!" I yelled again, trying to get his attention.

"_That's_ the Avatar?" the girl asked under her breath. "I thought he'd be a little... older..."

He looked up. "Sokka...?" He noticed Arashi. "Whoa! Sokka, look out!" He jumped backwards like only an airbender could, and landed on the other side of the river. I recognized the beginning of a waterbending motion and stepped in front of Arashi. He hesitated mid-swirl, confused.

"Stop, Aang, she's with us!"

He blinked and began to relax, but kept a wary gaze on the waterbender. "Well, what are you doing here anyway? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you on the way." I turned to Arashi. "Now, I want you to lead us to where you left my sister and Hama." I caught myself, not knowing whether she knew who Hama was, but she started off at a sprint and we followed her back through town.

"Hama?" Aang cried. "What's going on? Is Katara okay?"

I frowned, felt the strain of running uphill and downhill and just generally running for so long. "No. Hama turned on Katara. I don't know how or why, but we can't trust her anymore."

Aang still looked confused, but he kept his mouth closed. I was grateful that he didn't ask any more questions. It was a good thing he wasn't the most assertive, or else we'd have a lot more explaining to do.

"Arashi? How exactly were you attacked?"

"She just pushed me back with such skill, and then captured your friend without bending."

I could feel the temperature begin to change as we entered the woods. The sun had fully set and now the light from the moon was changing from white to blue. I frowned. Both benders were probably getting pumped up from the full moon, which meant that the battle would get a lot more serious and dangerous. Not good.

Before I knew it, Arashi was slowing. "Around here..." she whispered, her voice hoarse from running. Sure enough, I could hear the distinct sounds of water moving rapidly through the air in the distance. "They must have moved."

"It's no problem," I said calmly. I looked at her until she realized she was being watched, and she turned her wolf mask up towards me. I wanted to thank her for bringing Toph back, for leading me here, for not killing us... The usual. But I couldn't. Biting my lip, I looked away. "Let's go."

I looked at Aang and he nodded. We crept forward towards the sounds of heated battle.

"Wait," Arashi's voice stopped us. We hesitated and turned back. "I can't." Her voice was timid, afraid. I wanted to tell her she was another freaking waterbender, and she could easily help out my sister in the battle, but, again, I bit my lip and said nothing. "I don't want to."

Suddenly, Aang spoke. "Good. You've done enough damage." I stared at him, confused. It was very, very unusual to hear Aang speaking so... bluntly to someone. He was usually all smiles and comfort. But now he was angry. I'd never seen him like that before.

"Let's go, Sokka."


	3. Author's Note: Creation of Arashi

Instead of adding on another chapter, I want to give you a little background on Arashi. No, I never planned on her being a male.

She was based on an OC I made when I was just starting on The Avatar RP (an avatar proboards roleplay site) named Sahra Lee, though she was called Lee. Lee is one of two personalities of a girl with MPD. Who would have guessed that the other side of her was named Sahra? I would have. I made them both. They acted as two distinct personalities. Sahra was the more peaceful, happy one. Lee was hot-tempered and sadistic.

Back then, Sahra and Lee were 13 years old, though in the fic Arashi is 14. About a year after I conceived "her", I decided to have them start drifting apart. They would trade places every so often... Like one day, Sahra would be the physical form and mind, and Lee would be a spirit, visible and audible only to Sahra. Or... vice-versa. They wouldn't be able to stray far from each other, period. Not only would it cause the one leaving pain, but it would almost literally stop them until they were back in range.

So I started thinking that Lee would begin to work her way farther and farther until she finally broke connections. This never actually happened on the site, but Lee would find an exit from the Spirit world. She would steal a human body (somehow) and then make her way back to Sahra Lee's home, in the Northern Water Tribe. Then, when Sahra decided to go back for a visit, her sister would be there in the flesh and blood, cruel and cynical as ever. Both Sahra and Lee would have different names as "new beginnings", which is how I got to Arashi instead of Lee. Sahra had changed her name to Shui.

Their physical appearance used to differ only by eye color. When Sahra was the dominant mind, her eyes would be a light, grayish blue, like rain. When Lee dominated, they were navy blue. When they shared the same mind, their eyes would simply be blue, though mind you, the rich beautiful blue of a waterbender. They both had unbraided brown hair, plain and simple, about even with the bottom of their shoulder blades.

Lee was always, always better at bending during the daytime. Not that she wasn't good at night, just that she was noticeably better than most waterbenders her level during the day. Sahra is the opposite: she is better at night. And while Sahra can't quite get a grip on ice, Lee is proficient at freezing, melting, and just generally bending frozen water.

When they started separating, I developed distinct physical appearances for both of them. Sahra was more down-to-earth, a typical waterbender. She had her rain eyes, very wide and round. She grew out her hair until it was waist length, and then kept it in a braid and "hair loopies" most of the time. She wore traditional waterbending garb, and always carried around a water skin. Her skin was a bit more teenage-ish and she kept her appearance as visually normal as possible.

Lee's appearance is more of a model's, and this is Arashi's current appearance. Her navy eyes were more narrow and sly. She had a more angled face as well. Her hair was cut to her shoulders, pin-straight, and layered with many colors of brown like a feather, and she usually side-parted it. She wears more modern waterbending clothing that shows off her slim bronze body. She doesn't wear makeup, though she keeps her nails long, healthy, and sharp.

Arashi wears a wolf-mask to conceal her identity. It isn't as if she resents her own beauty, but clients seem more inclined to hire a male bounty hunter as opposed to a female. Her skills are more than enough, but some people are simply biased against women.

Speaking of bounty hunters, it was a relatively recent idea. I had imagined Lee would do some strange, equally wicked job, or at least torment Sahra. The bounty hunter idea was just a new concept that I enjoyed. Arashi works for her food and living. Any job within her boundaries she will accept. Money is money. She's a bit more sympathetic and kind-hearted than Lee, but can still be quite frustrating with her rashness and stubbornness.

Well... There you have Arashi. You'll learn more about the actual character later in the story, but here are her roots. How I thought of her, and how she developed from Lee.

Please tell your friends if you enjoy reading my work! I love reviews!

I'll have the next part up... whenever I can. Thanks for being patient.


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